Local author weaves hunting, fishing essays into captivating compilation

Clearwater native, Chris Stamp, achieved a bucket-list goal in 2022 when he opened a box and pulled out one of the copies of this first published book "Just Me ... In a Tree:"

Stamp, the son of longtime Clearwater residents Jerry and Sharon Stamp and a 1986 graduate of Clearwater High School, has artwork that dates from 1987 included in his collection of fishing and hunting stories that span from about that time to 2022. In addition to personal artwork, his book includes 60 stories and some 200 pictures chronicling memories of several generations of Stamp, his family and his fishing/hunting buddies.

"I've kept a journal for years and years. I even wrote a weekly outdoor article for "The Elgin Review" for a while. But after reading aloud to my five-year-old granddaughter (from journal), my wife asked me what I planned to do with all my writings and asked if I had ever thought about writing a book."

A reader of hunting and fishing books himself, Stamp noticed that not many included "live" pictures with the stories and he thought his take would be a fresh take – to incorporate pictures that coincided with the stories.

"And if I couldn't find a picture, I doodled one!" Stamp quipped. After graduating high school, Stamp attended the Colorado Institute of Art in Denver. The book includes several personal drawings.

Chris and his wife, Tracy, currently reside in Elgin and it is from this jumping-off point that many of his stories are set, including Goose Lake and Pibel Lake. It also is close to the setting of the Antelope Country Club, which is the setting of one his favorite stories from his book entitled "Golf – My Other Outdoor Past Time."

"It is hard to pick a favorite story because they are all unique, but I do really like the ones that include humor and the golf story has some of the funniest memories," remarked Stamp. "I also have a favorite based on one of my favorite trips and that is the last one in the book from 2022, which is about fishing for blue bass in Kansas. We remembered to pack a tent but forgot to pack the poles. It was a cold night sleeping in our coveralls and sleeping bags. We used a lot of firewood that night."

Although Stamp favored the humorous stories, he also made special mention of the ones about sharing the love of the outdoors with family. One such story was when his oldest daughter Jessica, who hadn't been out fishing with her dad for quite some time agreed to go fishing right before leaving for college. Another such story is about when his youngest daughter, Hayley, shot a deer that took until the next day to track and about the excitement of finally finding it.

That deer got mounted. Not because it was a monster, indicated Stamp, but because to his daughter, it was like King Kong.

"If I can just have that feeling over and over again, that's why I write. To share that."

Stamp continued, "I remember the very last time I got to go black powder hunting with my dad. There is a limit. There's a time when you wonder, 'Just how many more of these moments am I going to have. I always tell people that I'm going to be sitting in a tree stand when I'm 70. But, who knows? So, I still write it down as often as I can still today."

Another theme that Stamp seems to reiterate throughout the book is that readers just need to get outdoors and enjoy. Chris models an outdoor enthusiasm that is practical and simple. He doesn't appear to see a great need in the newest and expensive equipment. His stories are filled with his philosophy to approach hunting and fishing: To spend 60% relaxing. And the rest, have fun and see what happens. Just get out there.

As an author, Chris includes a lot of attention to detail especially on the subject of hunting and fishing. This attention to detail really puts the readers in each story including the weather of the day, the "whoom" of the arrow leaving the bow, the "ding-a-ding" of bells indicating a catfish was on, the feeling of the heart of the hunter beating fast, and the visual of the "flip-zip-flop" of a broken rod landing in the water.

Readers can also learn about all things hunting and fishing in Nebraska, including indigenous animals like snapping turtles, catfish, bullheads, white-tail deer, and even jack rabbits. Stamp uses hunting and fishing jargon and colloquialism specific to Nebraska, which provides historical record for Nebraska as well.

Stamp added, "Writing a book is something I never thought I'd do. But, it was exciting to finish each story and pick out the picture or drawing to go with it. It was hard sometimes too, like whittling down the book to only 60 stories. Some stories didn't make the cut. Same with pictures. That was hard."

On the day that the boxes with copies of his book arrived at his house, one of Stamp's memorable moments from his journey in writing his first book was when his wife said that she was proud of him.

Copies of "Just Me . . . In a Tree" are available for by contacting the author at 402-843-6296.